Beyond
by The Original Dirtyangel
Summary: It's a brave new world out there among the stars. Everyone's got a story, even Naruto. AU-Scifi. SasuNaru/NaruSasu
1. Till I See You Again

**\- Preface -**

For the longest while I've wanted to do an AU scifi story; and since I needed a side project to keep my writing muse appeased, here we are! These installments are meant to be short episodes into Naruto's life in this new world of space travel, marriage, and whatever else he's prone to getting himself into.

It goes without saying that I'm (barely) a hobbyist when it comes to understanding astronomy and all other things related to the science.

I hope you guys enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing this!

* * *

 **Log 1**

 ** _—Till I See You Again—_**

15:28.

A quick glance at his wrist watch told him his flight would be boarding soon. Then, as if on cue:

 _"Attention ladies and gentlemen, boarding for Empyrean Spaceways shuttle flight DS489 from Atlanta Spaceport Station to Laravel Colony will begin in approximately twelve minutes. For passengers still awaiting seat assignments, please approach the gate station for further assistance."_

Naruto sighed, looking back down at his phone. He tapped the screen to pause the racing game he'd been playing, and then tilted it upward.

"Ii, pull up wallet."

A small 3D projection of multi-colored squares arranging themselves in a carousel lit up above the screen. He cycled through them until he came to one with an Empyrean Spaceways logo. Tapping it revealed his boarding pass.

"Ii, place ES pass in standby."

"Sure thing," a soft feminine voice with a French accent replied.

The 3D projection disappeared and the pause menu for his game displayed again. Naruto smirked to himself as he thought about how much his husband hated the voice he'd chosen for his _Intelligent Interfacer_. When the man had been on Earth, before he'd needed to report to Laravel Colony for work, he had griped constantly about how annoying Naruto's choice of voices was—especially when Ii gave alarm alerts in the morning. _Why?_ was often the disgruntled question he'd pose to Naruto. The blond would then proceed to tell him that it was because he liked it, and that no matter how much his husband had hated that year his job had relocated them to Angel Suite—a French established colony, Naruto still thought it was an awesome place. This usually brought them to an impasse. Then his husband would give an exasperated eye roll and walk off to another room.

Naruto glanced at his watch again—seven minutes until boarding. Maybe he should text the other man and let him know that Naruto was about to board his flight. Though, something in him told him to video call instead.

"Ii, call Sasuke. Show on screen video."

"Video dialing Sasuke, one moment, please."

The game slid off screen to make way for a cute dialing animation. Naruto could hear the ringing tone in his wireless earbuds, and after the fourth ring, the call was accepted. The image of a fair-skinned man with deep black eyes and long, dark hair that slightly brushed his shoulders appeared. The soft lighting of a lamp off screen illuminated one side of the man's face and glinted off the rimless glasses he wore.

Naruto grinned. "Hey there, sexy," he greeted his husband.

The other man smirked and removed his spectacles. Casually, he brushed his long bangs aside.

"Hey right back at you, lover."

A warm rush of affection funneled its way from the center of Naruto's chest into the rest of his body, as well as some subversive thoughts that were a bit inappropriate for that moment. His cheeks flushed.

"Stop that," Naruto chided, mildly embarrassed. "I'm in public and you know what it does to me when you call me that."

Sasuke chuckled and placed his chin on a propped-up hand. "I know. Sucks to be you, doesn't it?"

Again, Naruto smiled. "Jerk. Tell me why I decided to marry you again?"

"Because of the health insurance and other fringe benefits you get as my spouse."

"Damn, that's right. Mom always told me I had to marry smart."

"That and I got you a dog."

This prompted Naruto to look down at the animal leisurely napping on the floor beneath his seat. Kurama, their domesticated warrah and husky mix, twitched one of his large ears but did nothing else.

"All right, you've got me. I've successfully been reminded of the many reasons why I said 'I do', Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke laughed again and placed his hand back down. "I'm glad. Are you boarding soon?"

"Yup, in like, two minutes."

Naruto gestured toward the idle hover crate sitting on the floor by his left foot. The device hummed to life and glided to the spot in front of him that he'd indicated. Kurama's ears perked up as he stared at it wearily. A small whine left the animal.

"Hey. You know the drill, Kurama. You have to be in the crate while we're on the flight," Naruto said.

The dog looked up at him with pitiful ice blue eyes, ears laying down close to its head. Naruto made encouraging sounds, and with a few gentle prods, Kurama resigned himself to grudgingly walking onto the base of the crate. The carrier's floor extended itself smoothly to accommodate the large dog's size, with room to spare. Then three translucent screens extended from the top of the crate to connect to its base, closing off the crate's three open sides.

"He never likes traveling in this thing, but I guess it can't be helped. IGSA rules and all," Naruto said, turning back to Sasuke.

"Well, it's just a four-hour flight. Hopefully, he'll be okay until you dock."

Naruto nodded absently, watching his husband as the man watched him back. "I can't wait to see you," he stated, gently.

Sasuke's dark eyes seemed to soften in the dim light of the room he was in. He leaned in closer to his screen while Naruto cradled his phone nearer.

"I know," Sasuke whispered. "Those four hours can't go by fast enough. I'm sorry we had to be apart these last two months."

"You'll just have to make it up to me when I get there," the flirtatiousness slunk back into Naruto's voice.

"Any way you want it, Naruto. If that's the way you need it."

A laughed burst out of the blond involuntarily, and he quickly slapped a hand over his mouth to smother his guffawing. A few curious eyes glanced his way, but they didn't linger for long.

"God…dammit, Sasuke! Why are you such a dork?" Naruto snickered between his fingers.

"Blame your father and his love for centuries-old rock bands. He has a penchant for torturing people with them whenever we're collaborating on a project."

"Heh, I'd think you'd be like a bat out of hell—"

"Get on the damn shuttle, Naruto." Sasuke looked like he was trying to scowl, but it was obvious how he struggled not to crack a smile.

Naruto stood, continuing to laugh. He held two fingers to his lips, and then touched them to the screen. "I love you, you bastard. See you soon."

Sasuke mimicked the same gesture and touched his screen.

"I love you too, idiot. I'll be counting the seconds until then. Be safe and text me when you leave hyperspace."

Feeling as if his heart might burst with how much he loved this man he'd decided to marry, Naruto tapped the edge of the screen to end their call. He shook his head to try and clear the butterflies from his stomach, all the while chuckling at how silly his husband made him act sometimes. It still amazed him how things had ended up the way they had between them.

Six years ago, if anyone would have told him that he'd be as crazily in love with Sasuke Uchiha as he was, Naruto would have laughed in their face. Sasuke was known for being a brilliant but reserved individual that was also capable of being an all-around dick when he wanted to be. Out of all the members of the United Engineers Corps, Sasuke would've been the last person Naruto had seen himself with.

But here they were, and as sappy as he knew it sounded, Naruto loved it.

 _"Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman. The shuttle has successfully been docked and refueled. We are now ready to begin boarding for Empyrean Spaceways flight DS489, flying from Atlanta Spaceport Station to Laravel Colony. We ask that at this time passengers that: require extra assistance boarding, who are traveling with small children with strollers, and those with animal crates please approach the gate now for boarding."_

Naruto grabbed the duffle bag that had been on the floor by his right foot and shouldered it. He tapped the top of the hover crate, causing it to gently glide after him as he headed toward the boarding area. He presented his pass to the gate assistant and she scanned it. Glancing up from her reader, the woman gave him a polite smile; then motioned him forward.

"Empyrean Spaceways welcomes you, Mr. Uzumaki. We hope you and Kurama enjoy your flight with us."

Naruto thanked her, and with Kurama's carrier in tow, made his way through the gate passage.


	2. The Only Way to Fly

**Log 2**

 ** _— The Only Way to Fly —_**

Naruto watched the newscast streaming onto his entertainment panel with little interest. There wasn't anything particularly good on. One segment of the broadcast had reported some delayed construction on a new jump gate, but nothing else he'd consider noteworthy followed.

He yawned, absently scratching at his chest, and glanced out the window. The calm quintessence of the starscape hadn't changed from the last time he'd looked. Everything was still, and the various stars off in the distance remained shy pinpricks of light.

He sighed for the umpteenth time since his shuttle left port.

This was why he never really liked commercial spaceway flights: they were so boring. They tended to err on the side of too much caution and took the least eventful gate routes. You'd be hard-pressed sometimes to even see a molecular cloud—which Naruto thought was quite a feat since they were flying through interstellar space.

Sasuke would have argued that this affinity for 'boring' flight routes was probably why the spaceways had such high success rates for their voyages. But what did he know? Naruto was the one who use to be a pilot!

The blond huffed a heavy sigh and sunk deeper into his seat. He turned his gaze from the stars outside to where Kurama laid equally as bored in his crate. The carrier had been tucked neatly into the designated hollow of their semi-private compartment; and the cubicle's half-wall blocked the dog's view of the aisle. Needless to say, the only thing Kurama had to look at was the bottom of the seats, Naruto's duffle bag, and the side of Naruto's leg. Naruto felt a twinge of guilt for his pup.

"Sorry, buddy," he apologized, "You know I'd have you sitting right up here beside me if I could."

Kurama didn't look at him, even though his ears twitched.

Naruto squinted at his dog, giving him a dubious expression. Kurama's eyes slid over to glance up at the blond, but then they went back to looking at whatever spot the dog had been staring at moments before.

"Cheeky bastard," Naruto grumbled.

Soon, fifteen minutes managed to sneak by as Naruto began to fall into a hazy state of half-wakefulness. Whatever new show that was streaming on the entertainment panel registered as white noise to his dozing mind. On occasion, he'd drift back awake when a flight attendant or other passenger passed by his cubicle, but inevitably, Naruto fell asleep.

"Oh shit, Hana…is that an Antarctic wolf? I don't think I've seen one that big since they resurrected the species."

"Hmm? That's clearly a mix, Kiba. Most likely Siberian Husky, if the eyes and ears are any indication."

Naruto shifted in his seat and out of sleep at the sound of voices hovering by. He instinctively looked down to check on Kurama; then he looked up and started when he found a random guy partially leaning on the wall of his cubicle, staring down at his dog.

"Uhh…" Naruto said, awkwardly.

The dark-haired man looked surprise to find him awake and quickly stepped back.

"Ah, sorry about that, man. I didn't mean to be rude or nothin'. Just couldn't help but admire your dog there," he rushed out.

Naruto sat up straighter and glanced down at Kurama again before looking back at the guy.

"Um, no foul. I just wasn't expecting to find someone standing there," he offered.

The man ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair, laughing nervously. "Yeah… Sorry for the slight creep show."

Feeling charitable, Naruto decided to break the awkward mood and introduce himself: "I'm Naruto, by the way."

He held out a hand. The other man immediately shook it, looking relieved at getting past an embarrassing moment.

"Kiba. Nice to meet you."

"Same here." Naruto pointed to Kurama, "This guy's name is Kurama."

Kiba grinned down at the dog as Kurama tried to crane his head up as much as the crate's screens would allow. Naruto helpfully tapped the _open_ button on the cubicle's console, allowing the half-wall to slide down and give Kurama full view of their new acquaintance. Kiba was already crouching to meet the dog at eye-level.

"Hey," he said in greeting while Kurama watched him curiously.

"You know," Kiba said, looking back at Naruto. "It's a shame we have to make 'em travel like this, but these carriers do a way better job at stabilizing the pressure for them than anything on these spaceliners could."

Naruto laughed at his statement. "You know, that sounds like the pitch my husband gave me the first time we had to travel with him."

Surprise fleeted across Kiba's face after he said this.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"No, it's just that…you're married? You look a bit young."

Amused, Naruto folded his arms and reclined in his seat. "Really? How old do you think I look?"

Kiba stood. "I dunno, maybe twenty-two, twenty-three?"

Naruto smirked, "I don't know if I want to feel insulted or flattered."

It was strange what three years of being married to someone did to you, because a part of Naruto felt like he was very much channeling Sasuke right now.

"C'mon, you're not going to say something like you're forty, are you?"

He couldn't keep from smiling. "Nah, more like twenty-eight."

"All right, you're not super young. We're the same age then."

Kiba had moved to casually leaning against the side of the empty seat beside Naruto. Moments later, a woman strolled up alongside him and poked the other man in the side of his head.

"Thank you, brother, for accompanying me to gather food for both you and myself," she said sarcastically.

Kiba rubbed the spot on his temple she'd jabbed. "Sorry, but you know we could have just asked an attendant, right?"

"They would've taken forever, and you were getting restless."

The woman who'd identified herself as Kiba's sister turned to look at Naruto. She offered him an apologetic smile. "I'm really sorry if we disturbed you on our way by. I didn't think we were that loud."

Naruto shook his head, waving away her worried explanation. "It's no problem, really. I'm a light sleeper when I'm on flights."

She smiled good-naturedly and introduced herself as Hana. Naruto followed up with his own introductions.

"I hope you don't mind if I leave first. Our dogs are shacked up by themselves in our compartment and they might start getting antsy," Hana added after a quick glance further down the aisle.

"Not at all! How many of them are you guys traveling with?" Naruto said.

"Four," Kiba replied, grabbing the multi-tiered food container Hana held at her side. She let him take it without protest.

"Damn…" Naruto said with an impressed laugh. "By all means, do what you gotta do."

Kiba grinned as Hana gave Naruto a small wave goodbye and continued in the direction of their seats. He started after her, but before he completely cleared Naruto's cubicle, he paused.

"Hey," he peered back at the blond, looking a bit hesitant. "You don't mind if I stopped back later do you? You seem pretty cool and I think my sister's getting tired of hearing me bitch about how lame this flight is."

In that moment, Naruto decided that he thought Kiba was a cool dude.

"Are you kidding me?" he grinned. "As long as you don't mind me bitching back."

The other man nodded and laughed. Then he disappeared down the aisle after his sister.

Naruto looked down at Kurama, who was sitting upright in his carrier. The dog's reddish brown coat was tinted a soft shade of green from the footlights that lined the aisle.

"Look at you," Naruto smiled impishly, "making friends."


	3. Priorities

**Log 3**

 ** _—Priorities—_**

"Seriously, you use to fly for the Frontiersmen?" Kiba appeared completely gobsmacked by this revelation.

Naruto took another swig of the beer his new friend had brought back for him from the inflight bar.

"Yup. Six years of commissioned service and two survey missions," he added smoothly.

Kiba gave a choked sound of disbelief. He sat up straighter in his seat beside Naruto and gripped his beer like it was an anchor to reality.

"Dude, that means you've been to different _galaxies_. That's fucking badass!"

Naruto could see the tiny signs of hero-worship blossoming in the corners of Kiba's expression. He grimaced. That wasn't the direction he wanted their newfound friendship to be moving.

"Not really," he began, "I've personally never left the Milky Way, and I know of maybe a handful of people who've traveled to CMa Dwarf. Not to mention there have only been twenty-five people in the last sixty years that have ever made it to Andromeda."

Kiba's eyes were huge disks of wonderment.

"It took them sixty years to go there and come back," Naruto deadpanned.

"Damn…" some of the wonder left Kiba's face, but he still gave Naruto an impressed smile. He settled back into his seat and looked down at Kurama—who was happily gnawing away at a dog treat Naruto had found in his duffle bag.

"So, why'd you leave?" Kiba turned back to him, sipping his beer.

Naruto smirked and pointed to the platinum wedding band on his left hand, "I decided to be a kept man."

"What?" the incredulity in Kiba's voice pitched it an octave higher. He took note of his reaction; then tried to muster up a contrite look. "I-I mean," he fumbled, "I think it's great that you found someone that makes you that happy, but…did you really feel you needed to? Retire, I mean."

Naruto found that he was only slightly annoyed at Kiba's question, which was great, considering how conversations like this usually made him feel. Whenever people discovered how early he'd retired from the Frontiersmen, they usually commented with what sounded like admonishment. Some liked to remind him of how young he still was; others would ask if he ever got restless since he made such a big change in lifestyle. Naruto thought that they could all shut the hell up. The Confederation was just fine with one less shmuck flying off into the darkest reaches of the galaxy 'for the betterment of humanity.'

Frowning a little, Naruto laced his fingers around the cool surface of his beer bottle.

"Being a frontiersman really isn't the job you want to be in if you like long-term relationships. You can easily spend months, even years, on one mission. Home is never really a thing, unless you're counting the crew you're working with, and you can cycle through those every assignment."

This seemed to subdue Kiba. Naruto let the weight of his words hang over them for a few more moments before playfully knocking his elbow into the other man.

"Besides," he said with a lopsided smirk, "my husband works for the Engineers Corps. The shit that they do is far more interesting than me flying off into the stars like a jackass. Hell, they're the reason why I could even do something like that."

Kiba leered at him; then gestured with his bottle, "This guy must really be something if he's got you gushing over him the way you do."

Naruto blushed at his comment and looked away self-consciously. He hadn't realized he was raving so much about Sasuke. But dammit, he couldn't help it! The man was so smart it made Naruto's head spin. When it came to flying, Naruto was confident in his skills and ability to maneuver any spacecraft he was given. However, the one time he and Sasuke had discussed the design of hyperdrives and why they were tailored specifically toward the flight models they would be used in, Naruto came out of the debate questioning whether he had been flying in a straight line correctly all those years.

He ran a hand along the back of his neck.

"W-well, yeah, kinda," he responded, sheepishly.

Kiba snickered, shoving at Naruto's shoulder, "At least you know you're being a sap."

At Naruto's glare, he laughed again.

"Hey, if any of my ex-girlfriends spoke about me a quarter of the way you speak about your guy, maybe I'd have married young too."

"They probably had too much raw material to work with," Naruto said, slyly.

"Wow, harsh."

They both laughed.

"So, you'd said Hana was a vet. Does she work out on Laravel or are you two just tourists?" Naruto asked after a few beats of companionable silence. Kiba finished his beer and then shoved the bottle down a discreetly placed trash chute near the cubicle's console. A low hum preceded the blue glow of the chute activating and disposing of the bottle.

"A little of both, I guess," Kiba replied. "Since Laravel is turning into a pretty big trade hub, she's thinking about joining a humane society out there. 'You're bound to see all sorts of critters popping up in a place like that.' Her words."

Naruto chuckled, finishing his own beer. Kiba took the bottle from him and disposed of it when Naruto asked.

"Me and Akamaru are just tagging along for the ride like chaperones," Kiba continued. "Our ma doesn't like any one of us being whole star systems away without family to watch our backs. She would've come herself but I told her she was getting old. So, yeah, I need to avoid being Earth-side for a bit."

"Pfft, your mom sounds a bit like my mom: lovable with a sprinkle of crazy."

"Ha! She still Earth-side too?"

The blond nodded, his expression softening at the thought of his mother. He loved spending as much time with her as he could whenever he saw her. She made life feel grander, as if every day there were more ways to feel happy than the ones you already knew. When Naruto was still on commission, his father used to forward pre-recorded video streams from her along the Confederation's long range communication lines. Because sometimes Naruto would be too far out for civilian satellites to send a signal.

"We should definitely exchange info. I mean, if I'm gonna be on Laravel with sis for a bit, and you're going to be there with your husband, we should sync up. Plus, I wanna see the man that clipped a frontiersman's wings."

Naruto rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his short, shaggy blond hair. "You know, he didn't _make_ me retire. Everything about the decision was me."

Kiba smirked at him, "I didn't think he did. But don't worry, man, I think it's cool you put family first. My ma would like you. She'd say you've got your priorities straight."

Smiling at his friend's words, Naruto moved his gaze to watch the twinkling void outside his window.


	4. It's a Good Life

**A/N:** Firstly, thanks to all of you who left feedback (and kudos on AO3). I'm so glad you're having fun reading this!

Also, you might have noticed a certain formula when it comes to the length of these Log chapters. Since the next chapter will be considered an Interlude, it'll be much longer and that's the general pattern this story will follow. So stay tuned!

* * *

 **Log 4**

 _ **—It's a Good Life—**_

 _"Attention, passengers. In preparation for our final gate jump, we ask that you please return to your seats. Thank you."_

Having stopped to listen to the flight announcement, Naruto continued back to his seat.

Twenty minutes prior, Kiba had returned to his assigned cubicle, and Naruto—being left to the mercy of his own restlessness—had decided to head to the inflight bar for another beverage. Thankfully, the shuttle's bar was also located by its observation bay, so he'd had another reason to linger.

The view from that side of the shuttle was far better than the one Naruto got from his seat, and he'd been able to see a spectrum of dust formations out in the distance. Though, while watching the starlight shift through those cosmic clouds, a pang of nostalgia had hit him. He couldn't help thinking about the one thing he missed the most from his days with the Frontiersmen: the unadulterated view of the cosmos.

Traveling on a spaceliner could never afford him the same experience of watching a protostar taking shape or the adrenaline rush of navigating a ship through the dead remnants of a planet. Those were occupational perks reserved for frontiersmen.

Naruto sighed as he approached his compartment and slipped inside. Retaking his seat by the window, he gave Kurama a pensive smile. As much as he'd enjoyed his chat with Kiba, the earlier parts of their conversation had slowly sent his mood into a wistful spiral. It left Naruto feeling defensive about the choices he'd made.

In a perfect world he wouldn't have had to retire. He would have been safe in believing that what Sasuke and he felt for one another could've withstood any distance their jobs would introduce. But it wasn't a perfect world, and Naruto knew it would have been a matter of time before he'd be assigned a new team and Sasuke given a new project. Then they would have been left lightyears apart with no guarantee of seeing each other again within a year's time.

Naruto hadn't wanted that. His father was a technician with the Engineers Corps, and he still remembered the long stints the older man had to spend away from home when Naruto was a kid. Most of Naruto's childhood memories were of his father's face displayed through a video stream, because he was unable to physically be with them. Yet, his mother had taken it in strides. Naruto always thought that she must really love him by the way she endured his long absences. However, the blond didn't think he was as strong as her. He couldn't bear to be that far apart from someone he loved. If it weren't for the fact that his mother had threatened to beat him over the head with one of her old flight manuals, Naruto didn't know if he'd have still applied for the fleet.

The thumb of his left hand played with his wedding band. When Sasuke had proposed to him, Naruto thought he might've collapsed from the sheer relief he'd felt. At the time, he had already begun the process of resigning his commission and was waiting for the right moment to tell Sasuke. They'd been officially dating for seven months during Naruto's eight months of comp leave, but by the second month in, Naruto had known he wanted to be by Sasuke's side, no matter what. He recalled the video chats he'd had with his mother back then, about how scared shitless he was about the future, and wondering that maybe he was wrong in assuming Sasuke wanted to be with him long term. But then Sasuke proposed and Naruto had cried for a solid minute like an idiot before he gave the other man an answer. Til this day, Sasuke liked to tease him about it.

 _"Ladies and gentlemen, our arrival time to the next jump gate will be approximately fifteen minutes. This shuttle_ _is_ _num_ _ber five in the gate queue. After jump, docking time at Laravel Colony will be twenty minutes. Please be sure to secure any loose belongings. And on behalf of all of Empyrean Spaceways, we thank you for allowing us to furnish your voyage."_

Naruto pulled out his phone, navigating to the messenger.

 _ **See you in 40 mins, lover.**_

He sent Sasuke his message; then looked back at Kurama.

"We'll be seeing Sasuke soon. You excited, buddy?" Naruto asked, amused.

Kurama watched him silently, but his tail wagged back and forth in a happy gesture. Naruto smiled at that. He made a mental note to look for the closest skypark to take Kurama to after they settled in on Laravel. His pooch had been a real trooper this entire flight.

Soon the phone in his hand vibrated gently.

 _ **Keep talking like that and I might give you more than a kiss when I see** __**you**_ _ **.** __**I'**_ _ **ll be here waiting**_ _ **, baby.**_

Dammit… Naruto's husband was such a devious little bastard.

The both of them had a habit of seeing how riled up they could make the other; it was a game of theirs. Currently, Naruto held the lead in their back and forth, but for the past few days leading up to Naruto's trip, Sasuke had been steadily getting the better of him.

Naruto bit his lip and began typing a reply.

 _ **You know I never mind a little extra** __**sugar when I see you. Make** __**sure you call me baby again when I get there.**_ _ **I** __**wanna hear you whisper it right after I'm done trying to suck your tonsils out.**_

It only took a few moments after his text for Sasuke to send his response.

 _ **I'll say whatever you want me to say** __**when it involves you sucking**_ _ **.**_

Naruto smirked.

 _ **I guess** __**that also holds true for** __**whenever things involve you riding**_ _ **, huh**_ _ **?**_

He didn't receive an immediate reply. Feeling smug, Naruto tallied a one in the air.

Score.

His phone vibrated again. This time, the message contained the image of two rapiers crossed followed by the word: _**Touché**_.

While Naruto chuckled to himself, another message came. It had the image of a heart, a japanese fish cake, a bowl of ramen, and another heart. The blond made a choked sound as he tried his best not to smile at that. He also rubbed a hand against one of his cheeks in an attempt to massage away the heat that was rising in them. Sasuke, that jerk. He'd purposely switched tactics and gone the cute route.

He usually kept it to an absolute minimum, but Sasuke knew that if he ever wanted to have Naruto instantly wrapped around his finger, all he had to do was be adorably silly. Naruto was fairly certain that his mother had let his husband know about that trick.

God, he hated how well that strategy worked on him.

Naruto made sure to let his husband know just how much of a bastard he was in the next text he sent.

Sasuke replied: _**Only for you, love.**_

After that, Naruto decided to put his phone away. He'd lost that round.


	5. Interlude: You're Not So Bad

**A/N:** I'm back again for another round! Enjoy.

* * *

 **Interlude**

 ** _—You're Not So Bad—_**

Glancing up from the article he was reading, Sasuke rechecked the arrival times on the large display built into the far wall of the receiving area. The bulletin said that Empyrean Spaceways flight DS489 would be arriving at 20:00. He checked the time on his watch; there was still another fifteen minutes left before the shuttle docked.

Sasuke went back to reading the trade magazine on his tablet. As he reached the end of the essay, a fleeting thought of what Naruto might want to eat passed through his mind. Knowing his husband, the man would claim to be starving the moment Sasuke made any mention of food.

He flicked the magazine off screen and brought up his dashboard. Opening the browser, Sasuke started to look up restaurants. He filtered them down to how pet-friendly they were, because he was certain that if he and Naruto stopped by the house to drop off Kurama, neither of them would be interested in going back out.

Sasuke smirked at the idea of what they could get up to if they did decide to stay in. It wasn't a bad option, in his opinion. Especially since the last two months hadn't gone by fast enough.

"Sasuke," a mildly accented voice chimed after another five minutes went by. "ES flight DS489 is currently docking."

"Thank you, Ii," Sasuke replied. He tilted his tablet upward; "Open Empyrean Spaceways and show baggage claim."

An intricate animation of the Empyrean Spaceways logo projected up off the screen before it dispersed into a flat plane that sat a few centimeters above Sasuke's tablet. In its left-most corner a message displayed, requesting the flight information.

"Ii, load in the ES boarding pass Naruto shared."

The message changed and Naruto's flight and baggage information appeared. To the right of the message, two 3D projections of Naruto's luggage grew out of the plane. Sasuke rotated each of their views to make sure they were the right scans.

Satisfied, he gave another command: "Ii, upload my spaceport parking info."

"Of course. One moment, please... Empyrean Spaceways has confirmed that it will deliver Naruto's luggage to the baggage claim pod located at your parking spot."

Sasuke shifted his tablet back to a natural reading angle, causing the projection to animate out of existence. Just as he was about to collapse the device into its storage mode, Ii gave another alert.

"There's an incoming video call from Kushina Uzumaki, Sasuke. Shall I accept?"

Brows arching slightly, Sasuke agreed: "Yes. Cast call to my tablet."

A video stream took over his screen and the image of an attractive older red-headed woman came through. She'd been looking at something off camera, but when she realized the call was active, she turned to the screen smiling.

"Sasuke!" she greeted him happily.

Sasuke smiled back at his mother-in-law. "Hello, Kushina."

Through his wireless earbuds, he could hear the faint, distant hum of an engine. He didn't have to ask to know that she was calling from inside her air cruiser.

"You know Naruto and Minato don't like it when you make video calls while you're flying," he said teasingly.

Kushina frowned at him. Her expression was so similar to the one Naruto gave when he was unamused, Sasuke couldn't help chuckling.

"My son and husband can go shut it. I've been flying since before either one of them knew me. I can do this in my sleep!"

"According to Naruto, you have."

"That boy doesn't appreciate the art of subconscious piloting," Kushina said dismissively.

"Is that so?" Sasuke asked, amused.

"Yes," Kushina said with a fond smile. "Now stop teasing, dear. Has Naruto's shuttle docked yet?"

Sasuke glanced up. At the other end of the receiving area the doors of the disembarkment hall had opened. A steady stream of passengers were already making their way through them.

"Yes," he said, stepping away from the glass wall he'd been leaning against.

Kushina tsked and pouted. "Shoot, I should've called earlier, but the turbulence was a bit rough. I was hoping to chat with you a little longer, Sasuke. I haven't spoken to you properly since you left for Laravel! Naruto's so stingy with the phone when you call."

Sasuke smiled warmly. Kushina reminded him a lot of his own mother with the way she doted over him.

"I'll be sure to give you a call tomorrow morning, then—before Naruto wakes up," he offered.

Kushina looked away briefly, presumably to guide the cruiser in the direction she wanted. Then she looked back at the screen. "Sweetheart, you're so good for wanting to indulge me, but you don't have to. Call only when it's convenient for you. I know you gristers* are always busy. Besides, Minato and Naruto are the only ones I'll ever give grief to for not calling," she said.

As he smiled again, Sasuke spotted the familiar mess of bright blond hair his husband was known for. Naruto was making his way through the sliding doors with Kurama's hover crate trailing closely behind him. Before he ventured any further, a shaggy-haired man strode up beside him and gave him a casual nudge in the arm. Naruto stopped and smiled at the stranger as if he knew him. This piqued Sasuke's interest. He watched the both of them chat with each other and a placid looking woman who'd also stopped by them. It seemed like the man and woman were traveling together with their own set of animals. An entourage of hover crates were idly drifting around them.

"Speaking of your son, it seems he's managed to make himself some new acquaintances on his flight."

"He takes after his mother, that one," Kushina said proudly. "All right, I'll let you go, Sasuke. Tell my baby I said 'hello' and that the both of you should make plans to visit me in Vancouver again after you've settled in over there. Minato should be back on Earth by then."

"Sure. Fly safely, Kushina," Sasuke replied.

"I always do, dear!" she said, signing off as the video call ended.

Sasuke collapsed his tablet and tucked it away in the inner pocket of his jacket. Placing his hands within his pants pockets, he continued to watch Naruto converse with the two travelers. Briefly, he entertained the idea of texting his husband to ask if the man was having fun with his new friends, but Kurama took notice of him. The dog got to his feet and began pacing excitedly within the crate. Kurama barked once, then twice. Although the sound was muffled by the acoustics of the carrier, it still traveled. Naruto turned around to see what was wrong; and when he glanced back up, his and Sasuke's gaze met.

The transformation of Naruto's facial expression had Sasuke smiling reflexively. The way his husband's crisp blue eyes lit up when they landed on him, and the brazen nature of Naruto's grin never failed in pulling this reaction out of him. He had yet to find the right words to quantify the feelings that swelled within him whenever Naruto looked at him in this manner, but he knew they always surmised themselves into love. That was a constant. And that was all that mattered to him.

Sasuke offered up an easy wave.

The man standing beside Naruto looked over as well. His eyes ran over Sasuke, assessing, before he gave the blond a sly look. Something was said that made Naruto roll his eyes and shake his head in what looked like exasperation.

Sasuke raised a questioning brow, but Naruto only winked at him and smiled reassuringly.

After that, his husband seemed to bid the two farewell. The man and Naruto exchanged fist bumps whereas the woman settled for a friendly handshake. When Naruto turned to head in Sasuke's direction, the duo focused their attention on Sasuke and gave polite waves. Sasuke answered them with his own courteous nod.

As his husband drew closer, Kurama started barking again.

"Should I be jealous?" Sasuke asked when Naruto was only a few steps away.

Inside his jacket, his phone vibrated—indicating that Kurama's carrier had synced with it. The crate smoothly drifted ahead of Naruto to stop at Sasuke's side.

Naruto laughed and opened his arms, welcoming Sasuke toward him. It was the most natural thing, stepping into Naruto's open arms and wrapping his own around the blond's waist. Naruto hugged him around the shoulders and buried his nose in the crook of Sasuke's neck.

"That's the last thing you ever have to worry about," Naruto mumbled against his skin.

The duffle bag hanging from Naruto's shoulder shifted over his jacket sleeve as Sasuke pulled him closer.

"Mmm," he hummed, "that's good to know."

He kissed Naruto's temple while his husband huffed out another laugh. They pulled apart.

"Is that all I get?" Naruto eyed him, squinting. "About an hour ago, you were spinning a lot of game, Uchiha."

Sasuke smirked, gently gripping Naruto's sides. "I thought you might've wanted to save that for the car."

"Why? For public decency? When have I ever cared about that?"

"Well, one of us needs to keep things classy—"

"Shut it, bastard. It's been two months since we've been together," Naruto cut in.

Sasuke gave him a smug look, then took hold of the front of his hooded black and orange vest. He pulled Naruto back toward him and stared intently into his eyes.

"I know, and it's been an absolute travesty," Sasuke whispered, voice low and warm.

It pleased him to see the way Naruto's pupils dilated with excitement while the blond pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. Naruto reached up to wrap his fingers around one of Sasuke's wrists, not letting go as Sasuke loosened his hold on Naruto's vest and cradled his husband's face between his hands. Drawing their bodies closer, Sasuke leaned in.

Before their lips touched, however, Naruto shifted his head back—slightly out of reach.

Sasuke blinked in confusion, but then found Naruto giving him a playful grin.

"Don't forget to call me 'baby' afterwards," Naruto teased.

This made Sasuke laugh.

"Idiot," he said affectionately and pulled Naruto back in for the kiss.

Naruto smiled against his mouth, eyes drifting closed and fingertips pressing into Sasuke's skin. His lips parted, allowing Sasuke to slip his tongue inside—deepening their kiss.

Sasuke threaded his fingers into Naruto's hair and Naruto pulled him closer by the front of his jacket. It was an idle venture to wonder about how long they stood there kissing, sucking, and attempting to take in as much of each other as they could in the finite amount of seconds that passed. But ultimately, a small voice in the back of Sasuke's mind spoke up and told him that there were more appropriate places to ravage his husband than a spaceport receiving area.

Giving Naruto one last solid kiss, Sasuke withdrew.

"Baby, how was that?" he asked, falling back to one of his usual smirks.

Naruto's eyes fluttered open, revealing a glassy sheen that shrouded them. Gaze still unfocused, he flexed his fingers against Sasuke's wrist and licked his kiss-swollen lips. A hum of satisfaction rumbled out of him as he released Sasuke and let his other hand fall from his husband's chest.

"God, you're so damn hot. How'd I end up with you, anyway?" he said with more lucidity.

Sasuke chuckled and let one hand run through Naruto's hair; the other drifted down to his side.

"You told me you loved me, remember?"

When he looked back at Naruto's face, he found an uncertain expression there. The blond appeared unsure of how he wanted to react, as if there were _too many_ ways to react. His eyes shifted away sheepishly before peering back. An interesting shade of red was slowly making its way into his cheeks.

"Geez… Fine, bastard, you win," he finally muttered.

Sasuke's smirk widened. Taking Naruto by the chin, he gave him a quick kiss.

"Let the panel know that my husband gave a valiant effort in his pursuit of amatory dominance."

Naruto pushed him away, rolling his eyes.

"You're such a cocky bastard."

"You could say I'm your cocky bastard," Sasuke continued, unable to help himself.

Without a doubt, this incorrigible side of him was a direct result of how long he and Naruto have been together. That was how he rationalized it, because the more dignified side of him avidly denied the possibility of him being this way otherwise.

Naruto poked at his chest.

"Oi, maybe we should pay your father a visit in Fūjin. I'm sure some time around him will turn you right back into the stoic bastard everyone's use to."

Sasuke's expression settled into subdued amusement as he watched Naruto pout.

It had been a while since they'd gone to Fūjin no shiro—an enclave of connected colonies whose construction had been spearheaded by Japan. His father was the Commissioner of one of the constabularies out there.

"Sure," Sasuke said, turning his attention to Kurama. "We can go if you can manage not to cower in father's presence."

He knelt in front of the dog's carrier and gave him a soft smile. Kurama had been panting happily during Sasuke's and Naruto's exchange.

Behind him, Naruto made an indignant sound.

"I don't 'cower', bastard. Your dad's just … a little intense," his husband rebutted. "It's almost like reporting to a district manager when you've reentered Confederation space. Those guys are hard-asses! They'll have you drifting in your ship for hours before giving you gate access, just because you 'exited hyperdrive at inappropriate speeds'."

Sasuke could feel Naruto sarcastically air-quoting behind him.

"Whatever you say, lover," he said off-handedly.

Naruto's pouting was audible.

Sasuke dismissed the translucent walls of Kurama's carrier, but as soon as they dissolved, Kurama bounded from the crate and into his lap. Grunting in surprise, he held Kurama back with one hand and redirected the dog's sloppy kisses away from his eyes and hair with the other.

"He was saving all that energy for you," Naruto laughed. "He barely made a fuss the entire flight."

Using Kurama's collar as a means to restrain him, Sasuke carefully moved Kurama's mouth further away.

"I missed you too, Kurama," he said, chuckling and giving the dog a few scratches behind the ear.

To his right, Naruto had crouched down beside him to begin rummaging through his duffle bag.

"I'd actually remembered to pack those fancy self-warming, self-sanitizing towels you love so much," his husband said, pulling out a slim, clear tube no longer than his hand and giving it to Sasuke.

Sasuke smiled and took it from him.

"You know, I may have just remembered why I love you as much as I do."

Grinning, Naruto replied: "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Naruto leaned over and placed a kiss on the edge of Sasuke's jaw, right below his ear.

"I think that's the only spot the dog didn't slobber all over," he said once he pulled back.

Sasuke chuckled softly under his breath, unable to hide the look of contentment on his face. As he watched Naruto give him another goofy, lopsided grin, a feeling of sincere happiness bubbled its way out from his chest and into the rest of his body. He was glad to have his husband with him again.

"Come on, idiot, I need to feed you."

"You know, when you talk like that, Sasuke, it makes me want to say 'I do' all over again."

Sasuke shook his head, allowing himself to smile even more.

—...—

*Fun fact: another name for a group of bees is a **_grist_**. It makes for great fodder when coming up with futuristic slang.


	6. Spoil Him

**A/N:** Well, we've come to the end of this act in our brave new world among the stars. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, fav'd, kudos'd, followed, and read! I had a lot of fun writing this. When I revisit this universe again, it'll be in longer one-shot formats. Fret not!

Lastly, there was a reason this thing was rated mature, so let's go out with a bang! _*chuckle*_

 **A/N PS:** If you dug this story and are interested in reading some of my original poetry and short stories, check out my profile. There you can find out how to visit/follow me on FictionPress or Wattpad. :)

* * *

 **Log 5**

 ** _—Spoil Him—_**

A heavy rush of air surged into his lungs as Naruto drew a deep breath. He held onto it for a few desperate moments before giving up to the demands of the moan that rumbled out of him. The fingers of one hand clenched sporadically at the sheets while the digits of his other hand were firmly entrenched in Sasuke's hair.

"Ughn…" he groaned, dragging one heel further along the bed and relishing in the sensation of Sasuke's tongue dipping into the slit of his cock.

This had to be their second round of sex since waking up—and their third round within the last eight hours.

The night before, their main focus had been enjoying each other's company. Naruto had lobbied for takeout, claiming that he didn't want to wait any longer to see the townhouse the Corps was subsidizing for them. Truthfully, seeing the place in person, and not via video streams, did volumes in improving his opinion of it. The house was located on one of the middle tiers nestled in the convex of Laravel's ovoidal structure. And since it was situated on the interior rim of the tier, they had an unobstructed view of the colony's hollow. Which they'd taken full advantage of.

Then the rest of the evening was occupied with eating, downing a few beers, and chatting while observing the lenticular panels of the hollow from the terrace. It wasn't until sometime after midnight that Naruto dragged Sasuke off to their bedroom to have the kind of reunion they both desired.

They'd made love at an enjoyably slow pace; it had been a while since they'd done it at such a leisurely and sensual rhythm. Yet, the night must've put Sasuke in a generous mood because he was uncharacteristically submissive. He'd offered up full control and Naruto had been allowed to go as fast or as painstakingly slow as he'd liked. Sasuke went with it; all the while moaning in ways Naruto loved and whispering in his ear of how much he'd missed having Naruto's dick in him.

Fuck.

A shiver sifted through Naruto when Sasuke released his penis from the confines of his mouth and the cool air washed over it.

"S-shit," Naruto stuttered.

His hand slipped from Sasuke's hair as his husband sat up and leaned back on his heels.

"Come here," Sasuke said, brushing his dark, sweaty bangs out of the way and patting the flushed skin of his thigh. "I want to come in you at least twice before I have to go in to the office today."

Naruto laughed, pushing his own sweat-slick hair from his face.

"Really?" he asked, idly running a hand up and down his torso. Sasuke was watching him with those hooded, dark eyes of his and it turned Naruto on even more. "Then why'd you use that condom earlier, hm?"

He purposely delayed fulfilling Sasuke's request. He liked it when his husband got a little aggressive and direct about what he wanted from him.

To his point, Sasuke gave him a look that said he knew what Naruto was doing. He yanked Naruto further down the bed by his ankles, then levered him up into his lap by an arm.

As Naruto settled in against Sasuke's chest, he wrapped his arms around the other man's shoulders.

"It's not like you don't have a mouth, Naruto," Sasuke smirked as he grabbed onto the curved mounds of Naruto's ass.

"You're such a perv, Sasuke," Naruto replied, finding the line of Sasuke's jugular and sucking on it wetly.

Sasuke squeezed his cheeks tighter, spreading them. He traced a finger down the blond's cleft to his hole.

Naruto gasped at the feel of that finger circling his entrance. The nerve receptors in his skin tingled and burned, and God, he just wanted Sasuke to put it in already. He was still slick from their earlier session, when he'd gotten up on all fours and told Sasuke to fuck him.

"Yes, but you like me that way."

Naruto shifted onto his knees to gain more leverage. He took both hands and swept Sasuke's long hair back, out of his husband's eyes; then held them there. Breath coming out in shallow huffs, he ran his eyes over the expanse of Sasuke's face—momentarily admiring it. His husband was a handsome bastard, truth be told.

"Then stick your cock in me so you can hear how much I like it."

The world froze for a fraction of a second when the head of Sasuke's penis entered him without preamble. An aching radiated through him and tangled itself in a streak of pleasure so deep, he couldn't describe it.

He was rocking back, taking Sasuke in deeper; and Sasuke was thrusting up, guiding Naruto down by the hips. His moans were being consumed by the wanton kisses they shared.

"A little more," he groaned into Sasuke's mouth. "Fuck! You feel so good."

They'd found a sensuous pace that had Naruto whimpering every time Sasuke snapped his hips up.

Soon he could feel the crescendo of his incoming climax. Naruto shoved Sasuke backward onto the mattress, bracing one hand on the bed by Sasuke's shoulder, and began stroking his aching member. He was so close. Sasuke was pounding into him with more fervor now and he was so close.

Then his orgasm was pouring out of him, moments before he felt Sasuke tense and his cock pulse inside him. Naruto continued to stroke himself, winding out the last vestiges of pleasure.

Underneath him, Sasuke traced small circles onto Naruto's thighs with the pads of his thumbs, humming contently with his eyes closed.

Naruto waited a few breaths before gingerly lifting off Sasuke, then flopping, boneless, onto the mattress beside his husband.

"Two months is too long," Naruto muttered after a span of seconds passed by.

"Yes, I agree," Sasuke replied drowsily.

"Do we even know what time it is?"

They turned to look at each other for a moment. Silence.

"Ii," Sasuke spoke up—his _Intelligent Interfacer_ was already configured to the house's system. "Time."

"The hour is 10:52, Sasuke."

Sasuke frowned a little but did nothing else.

"We have to feed Kurama. I don't remember if we left anything out last night."

Naruto rolled onto his side, propping his head in a raised hand. He grimaced at the feel of fluid trickling down his inner thigh. He needed a shower.

"His water bowl was already activated and I'm pretty sure he found his way into the takeout scraps."

"People food is not appropriate dog food, Naruto," Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes at him.

"I never said it was!" Naruto defended.

After a few more minutes of lounging, the blond made the first move to get out of bed.

"I need a shower," he said standing. Though, his legs were a tad unsteady when he settled his weight on them.

As he stumbled his way around the bed and over to the bathroom, Sasuke reached over the edge of the mattress and caught his wrist. Naruto looked down at him questioningly.

"You know, I don't think we'll have to be apart that long again for some time," Sasuke said softly.

Instantly, Naruto's expression relaxed into a tender smile. He stepped closer to the bed, then leaned down to place an affectionate kiss on Sasuke's lips.

"That's good to hear."

 **—. &.&.—**

 **- _fin-_**

 **—. &.&.—**


End file.
